Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-09-13
THE FLYING TRAPEZE.
Feats on II that Make he Spectator
Hold His Bres'h-FRsy Gym
nas;iC Tricks.
they Lock Like Hard Ones, AMI Hard Ones
That Seem Esss-How to Turn
SOM IsAuI's in the Air.

Sison, the trapezs mEn, came down |
from his lofty perch, sitter ten minutes :,
work, I'll Oh; OF Dresth. When he had |
changed his clothes and recovered his |
vino, he ssId Inst doesn't look SO |
hsrd and eXl8usting as it really il. | |
couldn't 60 up there right aw2y ana re-
pest that act suy more than runner !
could do miie III MS very top speed snd
turn right around AMI run back in the
same tine. It's 8 curious fact that some
of the mos. difficult gums iC !
feats can be made 70 look easy,
and some Of the easiest can be made -
look very difficult. The easy tricks are
sometimes ;he slOWiest. There art many
little tricks on the trspsze that require
great skill and accuracy, and yet sre so
apparently simple that nobody out 8 gym
mast can appreciate them, and therefore
they are no good for public shows. /
used to do them, but the public could not
see the &rt cf the tricks, so l save them
10 and confined my work 10 acts that
show up well before 3 crowd. Ia this
lies the difference between professional
gYmuasvs and the WORK Of amstcura.
90: ccurse, there are some circus fe7's
that are fully Is difficult and dangerous
as they appear, and II i only by lGcess2nt
practice for yeGcs that n&D IS a)le 10
perf rm ~ II 18th certGiDfT. For exam
ple, take She fling dCUell some saul-
and CatcS ton" ~ my appreN.ice Eddte
and myself + die il the oloUde girl
who comes Il .ng from the top of the cell
ing. GEoy Wsnted lady per
! former an&, IS nobody out Eddie does
this act, | had 10 persuade him TO
mske up with wig, powder his
/ face and wear necklace. He kicked at
| first, but came Ground by oegr2es, ana
although he dOesA't ike it, now he u@Ees
! pretty gOUGl00kiGg girl, You cAD see
that be turns two complete sccleG=aults
after leaving bis traFcze, fills aoou,
/ twenty-five feet gUd catches my wrist 81
hang head downward tl3m another
trsreza. That locks startling, AID mast
man would tlrd it difficult, | suppose.
! Many performers do z single t1rn Or "a
turn snd E2lf but / don't lh'UN any
body else does the genuine double 'UTn.
There is q way Of .,aBing 6 turn and .
half lo-F / X doubi' sOn,r-au.C IN tnn
all. The p"ri0rmcr, Ist a. IT let's 60 the
trapfZ. tblOWs bis i,gs up SGead Ct him
Then e brings them down eud back 7ard,
and makes oue complete forward somcr-
sauit 70 the zuditnce Il looks like s.
double turn. The ditllcut'y liz the RS
double sMersZuIt 10 il knowing where
Won are all the tine. i Idle seems IL
have Id aral faculty OF keeping his head
no matter hoW many turns he
mases-lCi knowing just where he
il sLL that he is doing. Once,
in th-at4ri 8 supporting wire
broke il,t az hs vas leaving & hSed bar
near Tie Ccii.. 10 s1OOt down head for
most t. ne lie had 10 firm footing to
IeEp from, $50 U7 course he Was bouad 10
f.l! short, lie realiZ d The situstiOn in
silently, duc5ed his head, made h1lL s
turn IA the CT. and cane down 10 The net
n his 3.cC. II ne had struck head tirst
in tae net he might have broken his NECK.
TIE net IS ? grsat safeguard, and M
, emOUnG OF money vJr,d induce Iae 10 go
through s fling trap. Il SCI without one
bu- you must fall into /. right II you do
fsll or you may ger OGdly EurG. The boy
used 20 make five turns ia the air from
the bar to the Iet, bat ne WAC liahle tC
; fall wrong. and 50 / put stop 10 It.
"I tell you these things 10 STOW that
! although lie tiyiDg-trap ze oct looks as
= though j! was done In IN CnAGDd mG11er
il really require the closest attention GrC
most perfect execution, My psrt 81 . you
, might call brute strength, but that is ~
all OF 1t. The time must DC just right
. end that is WAa9 l nave to lUOE GU
for. Nerve and confidence, ss well g.
muscular strength, are requisite, O.
: course, but the Eecret Of aerial gym
pGstics is in time and calculation
e When put up 4 tr&peZe take measure
+ merits Of the place a1d calculate ~
e length OF swing, tle sc and The cist.nc
= to half On inch. Ii a man leaves tn
4 trspCZe ct the end CT the swing he VII
= Qot be thrown forward a. ell Al Ger
t tain poIH. il tne pain Of the pendulum
II with ropes a. Z certain l5u&th, toe fne
e gets an impulse that vii! carry HIM foI
Il Gzrd twenty five feet. Tne impulse Va
rieg with the position OF the trgp%ze Whe
5 the hold is released. Ii the bars Gre S
IS far apart, the length ii he ropes c&n D
y calculated eXactiy. | ley thai ali out
It see tusI every thing is secure aLd rigat
il AMI then 20 on ct ngh,, without hsvIn
d tried The app -s(us, certain that tn
IF act will BE- lust IS it should b.
2, s. much swing will pr0pel man Just 5
Ie far. That is Gil matter CT Cslcu
latiOn. Then the point 10 be looked ate
" is the exact moment st which the hol
a. should bereleased When l give the wore
sr the other mcn let's &C, and 3 miss neyt
,e occurs. 1t took g long time 10 fad tE
r. y GIT moment il the double sGmeIsau
m act. We tried it every day for q gret
in while AID always just missed. A. last
IS thought Ihad worked uut the puzz'e an
j. told Eddie 10 visit for the word. He La
been IeavIoS al Instant too soon and {
rv course Missed the cs-Ch. l gave II
We word Just . VI Il later, b" made the tN
u tutcs perfectly and caught exactly RICH
Sc aud from that dsy ne hns been doing
er without an error.
N zone Of the easy things that lock d fl
cult AMI make crowd hold its breath
e. one performer hanging head dow1"al
cd with his tees just caught ever the toes
2, me other mar. Tie upper man mu
Il hsve strength IN the Thighs to hold L
:. weigGf, but the rest Ct it is merely kee
es ing the ankles stiff sud the feet turned
= little toward the front Of the legs. a.
tairlyg0Cd gymnast ought;to do it.Witho
trouble, hut to the initiated If looks Ill
! great aCJiGvemeEt, and consequent
is Gvod shQw tr.Ck. When ! 5
easy, l mean 70 s trained gYmlast "
he is accustomed TO the sDpGrAtr
not easy to anybody snd everybody. 7
muscles, 10 natter how strong, must
- accustomed TO that kind of Work. 1 knC
a man who can pu! up with ore heLd